Quantifying the financial losses of rangeland degradation due to reduced milk yield in the rangelands of Erzurum Province in Turkey
A. Kara A D , U. Şimşek B , S. Kadıoğlu C , S. E. Dumlu C , Ş. Çakal C , M. Uzun C , E. Aksakal C and M. M. Özgöz C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Faculty of Agriculture, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
B Faculty of Agriculture, Iğdır University, Iğdır, Turkey.
C Eastern Anatolia Agricultural Research Institute, Erzurum, Turkey.
D Corresponding author. Email: abdurrahman_kara@hotmail.com
The Rangeland Journal 37(5) 459-466 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ15020
Submitted: 28 November 2014 Accepted: 4 September 2015 Published: 7 October 2015
Abstract
This study estimated the financial losses associated with lower milk yields in the relatively poor rangeland conditions of the Erzurum Province in Turkey and the factors contributing to the lower milk yields associated with the state of the rangelands, the type of grazing livestock and the demographics of the farmers. The study was conducted in 11 villages in Erzurum Province in 2006 and 2007. The following variables were considered in the study: year, number of milking days in grazing season, age and level of education of the farmers, cattle breed, supplementary feeding during the grazing period, lactation number of the cows, rangeland condition, stocking rate of the rangelands, altitude, the proportion of small ruminants in the herd and the percentage of bare ground of the rangelands. According to the least-squares regression analysis, altitude, stocking rate, the number of milking days in the grazing season and the percentage of bare ground had negative effects on milk yield, whereas all other factors significantly increased milk yield. It was estimated that a 10% deterioration in rangeland condition would result in a reduction in daily milk yield of 1.23 kg per cow, 62 kg ha–1 of rangelands and 1255 kg per farm in a 120-day grazing period. It was also found that the use of concentrate supplements during the grazing season was not cost-effective.
Additional keywords: cost equivalent, milk production losses, rangeland degradation, rangeland restoration.
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